Q&A with Vernon Turner of Causeway Connections

Sarita Kincaid interviews influential industry thought leaders to learn about the latest trends, perspectives and research in the ICT market. Formerly IDC’s IoT Research Fellow and Senior Vice President, Vernon Turner provides Causeway Connections customers with strategic advice and services that go beyond the initial influence of an IoT environment.

What’s coming up in the IoT market? What’s new or where do you see this market going?

The IoT market is fast becoming the conduit whereby all aspects of digital transformation are fueled and enabled. Data from IoT sensors used in the ICT industry accelerators such as Machine Learning, Analytics, and Blockchain are enabling innovation across every industry, both in the private and public sectors of our economies. In other words, patience is paying off as we see IoT instances become more and more embedded in our infrastructure fabric. It is because of this that I see the major cloud providers becoming very keen to be relevant across all layers of the enterprise environments.

What technologies will make this happen?

Relevant amounts of compute capabilities layered throughout the enterprise (at the core, the branch campus, the edge, and on the sensor itself) will drive the performance of industry accelerators (Machine Learning, Analytics, and Blockchain) to happen. This means that everyone from telecom, network, and IT has a chance to offer services to the major industries. It also means that the cloud providers will want to monetize their capabilities at these layers. In other words, there will be direct competition or deliberate collaboration between technology companies and cloud providers.

Why will this market be a game changer?

Currently customers are at the end of either the supply or value chain. Industries make and sell products to customers in a very linear or ‘left-to-right’ flow. The IoT market changes all of that. It changes the way everyone goes to market and does business. IoT systems allow customers to be in the center of an industry ecosystem where they will have the ability to see the relevancy of everyone in the ecosystem. IoT-generated data within the ecosystem becomes available to everyone; making transparency the table stakes for every participant in this business model.

Are there early success stories that you can share?

Healthcare is a massive industry that we all know is challenged by high costs and inefficiencies. It has one of the best opportunities to be upended and modernized by the Internet of Things. Think of the patient as being the consumer or customer. Think of the doctor, the pharmacy, the insurance company, the health store or food shop, etc., as being the ecosystem for the consumer. I have worked with an IoT startup company who is enabling customers (the patients) to manage their Type II diabetes in this manner. The business outcomes have been incredible. Significant cost savings are being realized, but even more important is the improved well being of the customers.

How can your firm help enterprises move forward with their IoT initiatives?

We understand the current and future needs of enterprise data centers and networks because we have built and supported them in the past. We have been helping both vendors and customers transform the shift in business models while they retain their infrastructure resiliency and security needs. Finally, we spend time understanding companies’ maturity and readiness before they dive into this journey, and advise them accordingly.